Ball dispensing apparatus



Jan. 23, 1951 F. wElNscHENK 2,539,216

BALL DISPENSING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 8, 1945 INVENTOR W /i M ATTORNEYS.

Patented Jan. 23, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DISPENSING APPARATUS FriederckiWeinsclienk, Bridgeport, Conn.

ApplicatinNovember 8, 1945, Serial No. 627,345

1,.v This-invention relates to-adispensing device, especially designed for advertising purposes#V It isparticularly ,designed for Vdispensing numbered `stood the devioeis not`1imited^to the specific details' of` construction v"and"y arrangement shown; but may embodyfvarious1y changes? andfmodiiicazi tionszwithin the scope off the'vinvention.-i

In this drawing:

Fig. 1 is a Vfront elevationiof lther dev-ice with parts broken away to morefclearly show'thecon'- struction; i

Fig-.2 visf a- Ytransverse section: substantiallypn the line 2-'2-'of Fig:-1," andi- The v device comprises.: a container? for; any.k de; sired number of numbered balls, this container comprisingabase 5 and cylindrical side walls 6 witha dome on top `'1, ,the upper andzloweriportions Aoiithe' baserand'. dome bein'gfreduced',` re;- 'speotively tol telescope` into the; lower.1 and? upper ends of' the" cylinder r`forming the' side walls 6;"a's indicated at-8 and 9 respectivelytol give asm'ootli continuous outersuriaca and thebase and` dome or coverfbeing secured tottheV cylinderabyzany suit# abl'emeans', such, for'example,asthe'screws IU.

` These y members: may be 'madeiofizfanyf suitable I4'. leadingffromi.. top'rwall'. 2,0@withinp'the cyls indian-downwardly throughithe: frontiwall;` andiat the lowerA end-of this passage',- isfvii'isertedlv ai catch and secured'therein by any suitable meanshsuch asrtherfscrews IS'. The outer or-lower edge ofwthis lip `preferably extends beyond the surface ofthe base, as shown in Fig. 3, so that it holdsa ball I3Ia at: the outer part of the discharge passage where itgrnay be easilyygripped; with thengers and` removed.

Mliuntedv Within the chamber Within. the'cylinderi and above the-base 5 lis a control-mech anism for selectingl a` ball andacarryingitto-the outlet gate or passager I4. Thisl comprisesia ratchet plate II mounted' on an upright central shaft I8 [seated at its lopposite ends in recesses I9 in the base 5 and dome 1. This ratchet may turn about this: shaft and is spaceda suitable distance, above the top wall 20 of the base 5` by a spacerisleeve 2 I on the shaltv I8 under the disc. Also adapted to swing on this'shaft isan operatingleVer-EZzwhich; may bea flat strap piece rest'- ingon thetop wall 20-of the base 5 and extendingy outwardly through a slot'23 in the side wall ofthe cylinder 64 where itis provided with an upright end portion-24. Mounted` onrthis upright portion is an operating handleV 25, and between the-portion 24 andrthe edge of the ratchet plate Il' isa spring pressed-pawlZB extending through a slot 21 in the side of the cylinder. This pawl vis mounted. in -a cupped memberl 28. whichhas a threaded shank 29 extending through the upright member 24 and `on which thef'handle 25 maybe threaded` A springt!) in this cup presses the 'inner end of. thevpawl- 2B. against the edge of the ratchet plate I1.

The. ratchet plate, I'I is provided with a series of" openings 3I of a little larger Ydiameter than that; of the balls I3 `sothatf theindividual-balls may pass,` into' thev openings; and Ythrough this plate,;and thefe'dge ofthis plate is providedwith aseries of-` notches forming shoulders 32 one adjacent each of thel openings 3|v against which the: pawl 26 may engagey to rotate. the disc I1 with` a step-by-step movementfclockwiseyas indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2,`by swinging the handle 25 and lever 22 back and forth'. To-prevent the disc I1 being swung to the left orcouniterclockwise as the handle` 25 is swungzback, a stop ornon-return pawl 33 isv provided.: This is mounted inthe wall of the cylinder so that its inner endfengages the edgeof the ratchetplate, ,-andisyieldingly held against. it by a spring, 34in a small cup member.- .35 ,securedtothegouter' wall oit-:the: cylinder;` A pairof screws: 35. is; prefere; y

mounted innthe. Vc5/luidenWallszgjustz above e ratchet; plate; with;V theirs.. innen-ends; extend g i over; this plate: :to ikeepthe; ratchet-V plategordilsc in place and prevent its moving upwardly by action of the balls or being lifted out of place by removal of the dome and of the shaft.

Mounted on this shaft and resting on top of the ratchet plate l'i is a cone 3l. This nts snugly about the shaft and acts to steer the balls outwardly toward the openings 3| in the ratchet disc. At one side of this cone between the cone and the walls of the cylinder 6 and located over the outlet gate or passage I4 is a mixer 38. This device includes a pair of spaced tonguesV 3S and 40 extending against the direction of movement of the ratchet plate Il, as shown in Fig. 2, with the inner tongue 39 extending substantially to the surface of the cone 3l, while the outer tongue 40 rests against the inner surface of the cylinder 6. Between them is a passage through which the balls may pass and which has an upwardly inclined bottom wall 4I. This mixer is held in place by any suitable means, such, for example, as screws 42 passing through the walls of the cylinder. The bottom wall 43 of this mixer is spaced sufficiently above the top wall 2li of the base to permit the balls i3 to roll along the top of this base under this mixer with the disc il when the balls are in the openings 3l in the ratchet disc Il, as indicated by the balls lh in Fig. l. As the ratchet plate Il is mounted between the bottom wall 43 of this mixer and the top wall 2Q of the base E, balls cannot pass under this mixer to the outlet passage I4 unless it is within one of the holes 3l in the ratchet disc il, and it will be understood that as this ratchet disc is given a step-by-step rotary movement by operation of the handle 2t and the pavvl 2S, only one ball will be carried to the outlet passage I4 at one time. As the opening 3| in which a ball is located is moved over and into alignment with the outlet passage Iii, this ball drops from the ratchet disc through the passage i4 and is caught by the lip I5, where the operator may pick it up and observe the number on it and then later return it to the container through the opening I2, but as this opening 3l in the ratchet disc from which the ball drops in this position is under the mixer 38, no other bail can drop through this opening into the outlet I4.

The tongues or lips 3S and 4G have a peculiar shape including bevelled top surfaces. The central tongue Si? has a twist so as to rest loosely against the cone driver Si. The outer tongue or lip 4i? has a twist so as to rest against the inner wall o cylinder 6. rThese lips or tongues direct the balls toward the inclined tapered surface 4l between them, up which the balls are carried and drop off the rear end of the mixer. These tongues or lip-s will also prevent jamming of the surplus balls over the outlet as they are carried around by the ratchet disc, and the mixer also thoroughly mixes the balls so that the balls in this rotation do not assume a certain position in relation to the other balls and maintain it, but the balls are shiited and mixed on each operation of the ratchet disc. In other words, individual balls are carried to the outlet gate or passage I4 in the separate openings SI of the ratchet disc IT, and as they are carried under the mixer 3S the tongues partially surround the ball in the opening 3i in the ratchet disc that is proceeding to the outlet gate, and this mixer prevents more than one ball being carried to the outlet, the bulk of the balls being directed over the inclined top wall 4I of the mixer, which acts in such a Way as to shift and mix the balls so that a certain ball may come out the outlet in a given number of operations, and then again, after being returned to the container, may not come out for even a larger number of operations. There is, therefore, no chance of xing the device so that any given ball can be fed to the outlet after any given number of operations.

Having thus set forth the nature of my invention, what I claim is:

1, A device of the character described comprising a container `for a plurality of balls including a base provided with a discharge passage leading from the top Wall of the base, a rotatable disc mounted above said top wall provided with a series of openings in it to receive individual balls, a mixer for the balls above said disc and over the entrance to the discharge passage and spaced above the disc sufciently to permit a ball in an opening in the disc to be carried to the discharge passage but spaced above the disc less than the diameter of the balls to prevent other balls being carried to this position, said mixer being provided with means to stir up and mix the balls carried to it which are not in said openings comprising a rearwardly and upwa rdlv inclined ton wall and spaced tongues on opposite sides of said wall inclined in opposite directions to direct the balls to said inclined wall, and means for operating the disc to carry the individual balls to said discharge passage.

2. A device of the character described comprising a container for a plurality of balls including a base provided with a discharge passage leading from tbe top of the base, a rotary disc mounted in the receptacle over the base provided with a series of openings to receive individual balls and carry them to the discharge passage by turning movement of the disc, said disc being provided with a series of notches in its outer edge, a lever pivoted on the top of the base to swing back and forth, a handle for operating the lever, a spring pressed pawl carried by the lever to engage said notches to turn the disc with a step-by-step movement, and a mixer mounted above the disc over the discharge passage in posiu tion spaced above the disc less than the diameter of the balls to prevent more than one ball being carried to the discharge passage by each opening in the disc and provided with spaced tongues arranged respectively adjacent the side wall ci the container and inwardly therefrom toward the center, said tongues being inclined in opposite directions to deflect surplus balls out of a circular path so as to mix them'up as they pass over the mixer.

3. A device of the character described comprising a container for a plurality of balls including a base provided with a discharge passage leading from the top of the base, an upright shaft in the container, a ratchet disc on the shaft above the base provided with spaced shoulders, movable means to engage the shoulders for turning the disc with a step-by-step movement, said disc being provided with openings to receive individual balls and carry them to said discharge passage by turning movement of the disc, a cone arranged on the shaft above said disc with its inclined side Walls directing the balls to said openings, and a mixer mounted between the cone'and the side wall of the container over said passage and spaced above the disc less than the diameter of the balls to prevent more than one ball being carried by a single opening to said passage, said mixer being provided with spaced oppositely inclinedtongues extending inthe opposite direction to that of movement of the balls being moved by said disc to the discharge passage and arranged on opposite sides of the path of movement of these balls with one tongue adjacent the cone and inclined to deect surplus balls outwardly away fromthe center of the disc and the other tongue being adjacent the side wall of the container and inclined to deilect surplus balls inwardly toward the center of the disc, and an upwardly inclined wall between said tongues over which these surplus balls pass.

4. A device of the character described comprising a container for a plurality of balls including a base provided with a discharge passage leading from the top of the base, an upright shaft in the container, a rotatable control disc on the shaft above the base provided with openings to receive in said openings to the discharge passage, a mem- 0 ber on the shaft above the disc provided with inclined walls to direct balls in the container to the openings in the disc, and a mixer mounted be-` tween said member and the side wall of the container over said discharge passage and spaced above the disc less than the diameter of the balls to prevent more than one ball being directed to the said passage by any given opening, said mixer having an upwardly inclined top wall and spaced tongues at the forward and lower part of said wall inclined in opposite directions to direct surplus balls to said inclined wall to pass over it.

FREDERICK WEINSCHENK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,184,074 Clark May 23, 1916 1,475,730 Walter Nov. 27, 1923 1,929,788 Meyers et al Oct. 10, 1933 .2,125,696 Surprise Aug. 2, 1938 2,176,232 Warren et al. Oct. 17, 1939 

